Pre-service special education teachers’ learning through recorded mini-lessons and peer review

Abstract

Despite the research regarding the importance of peer review and feedback in pre-service special education teachers, there exists a gap in teaching complex mathematical concepts such as fractional operations. This study sought to address this gap by investigating how pre-service teachers can effectively appraise and revise peer-generated teaching transcripts focusing on fraction operations and compare their feedback with those of experienced educators. The research sought to understand how this integrated approach can contribute to improving the instruction of pre-service special education teachers in the field of mathematics education. A modified version of Crespo’s (2018) generating, appraising, and revising of representations was utilized to analyze the video content. Comparisons of the reviews showed that pre-service teachers may not have the content knowledge or experience to provide in-depth feedback to support learning as experienced educators. The article concludes with findings and recommendations for teacher educators who utilize anonymous peer review in teacher preparation for special educators.